My Grandfather, Ukraine and Me

This story of my family’s connection to Ukraine spans more than 80 years. It starts with my grandfather (far right in photo) rallying Ukrainian soldiers and French maquisards to fight the Germans in 1944, and then advocating for the brave Ukrainians not to be sent back to the communist Soviet Union. It continues with my befriending Ukrainian Zhenya Klimishin during the last days of the Soviet Union and carries on today as Ukrainians bravely defend their country from Russia’s unprovoked invasion.

Searching for Zhenya

I met Zhenya in 1989 in Leningrad, where I was studying Russian and he was a poor university student campaigning for democratic reforms in the Soviet Union. We became fast friends. Our lives then diverged, and we lost touch for 25 years. Until a magical morning in 2017. Here’s what we found after 25 years, what I learned from him and what he gained from me.